E-mail scam?

Everyone has gotten one of those e-mails from some purportedly important businessman abroad who needs help in transferring a large sum of money. And, hey, you can make a lot of money doing it, it says.

According to Berkshire Bank, a customer responded to one of those e-mails and it cost the bank $384,700.

Berkshire is suing the Colonie law firm of Lombardi, Walsh, Wakeman, Harrison, Amodeo & Davenport PC, saying it responded to an e-mail from a Taiwanese company needing help collecting on delinquent accounts.

There may have been some red flags here. A check that was supposed to arrive from New Jersey instead came from Canada. It was deposited, and a few days later the law firm allegedly was told to wire the money to South Korea, not Taiwan.

The deposited check, which was to have covered the funds, of course bounced.

Now, the bank is out the money, and it’s going after the law firm. Both, by the way, declined comment.

Seems like the bank was alseep at the switch, too. Why didnd’t they wait for the check to clear before wiring the money? And for a law firm to fall for such an old scam does not say much for the intelligence of the lawyers of the firm. Somee part of this story seems to be missing.